Girls not aloud

In a single sex school they can articulate things that concern them, then they realise everyone feels the same. In a mixed environment they won’t articulate it. Liz Allen, Head of Newstead Wood School for Girls

Allen argued that mixed sex schools were crushing girls’ careers and professional aspirations. Her own school, Newstead Wood, a state grammar school in Orpington, Kent, is consistently ranked among the top state schools in England.

Girl power?

Controversially Allen suggested that girls’ ‘voices’ were being crushed in mixed sex schools. She said that girls were naturally competitive and in an all-girl environment, this competitiveness was allowed to thrive, however, in a mixed environment, the voices become subdued.

“In a single sex school they can articulate things that concern them, then they realise everyone feels the same. In a mixed environment they won’t articulate it.

“They just say that the boys are going to be more dominating and therefore I’ll sit in the back row. Really able girls will be successful wherever they are. The thing that gets crushed is their career and professional aspirations.”

Family ethos

Principal Richard Backhouse, from Monkton Combe in Bath, argues that good education is founded on strong relationships between pupils resulting in a healthy school family ethos:

“It's curious that no one has ever suggested that brothers crush the ambitions of their sisters. A family is enriched by there being brothers and sisters, as schools are by having boys and girls.

“At Monkton, we believe that good relationships will be the key to our pupils - boys and girls - becoming contributing and achieving members of society. We have a particular focus on the development of Christian character: helping our young people to be confident with an excellent self-image, to have integrity, to be sensitive to others and to be ambitious for themselves.

“Families are normally mixed gender, and our aim is to create a school culture which is family based: this has to be co-educational. We are setting standards for life. Giving young people the qualities of character they need to become trusted employees, inspiring leaders, valued friends and, at the appropriate time, loving parents themselves."

No evidence

Simon Morris, headmaster at Kingswood school in Bath, also argued that there was no evidence to suggest that girls’ ambitions are crushed in a mixed school: “There is no sense whatsoever that either gender dominates in the classroom. Neither our boys nor our girls would allow that to happen! Healthy competition thrives at schools such as Kingswood, but not on perceived gender divides!”

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Do you agree that girls' voices are not heard in a mixed sex school? Do they do better in a single sex environment?